Wood County Sheriff's Office marks 15th crisis intervention training class, says program has trained over 300

Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker told WFHR that the department is holding its 15th Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) class and that the program has trained "well over 300" law enforcement officers, corrections officers, dispatchers and some community stakeholders over the years.

Becker said the 40‑hour CIT curriculum grew out of gaps in mental‑health response training and aims to better equip officers to work with social‑service partners and crisis teams. "We need to work together as a team with our social workers," he said, describing local collaboration with human services and organizations such as NAMI.

He traced the program’s start to deputies who pressed for better training and to staff who attended model programs elsewhere before developing a local class. The county now hosts the training locally, which has drawn attendees from across the state and helps deputies apply de‑escalation and referral strategies in the community.

Becker said the program is offered to new hires and that the department plans to continue offering classes; he described the training as a long‑term investment in both officer wellness and community outcomes.